The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1887-05-26
DIR. SmOOt AandIed with Bare
KnuckIes,

ST.. L us, Mo. M ~ 25.-The follow.
ing is an epitcms of the speech made
yesterday afternoon in the Southern
Presbyterian Assembly by Col. Liv-
ipgston, OF GsoTgia, in which be not
only spoke in favor of the maj ,rity re-
port on union of the two assemblies,
but handled DR.. Smoot with bare
kpuckles. He said when the ma
iority made the report it was out of
no dsrespect fer the fathers OF the
church, like DR.. Smoot. TIE speaker
admitted he had represented bis PEG.
pie in the Legislature at home, but he
was not talking as politician he was
not a. politician DIR. Smooi's speech
was made up of bloody shirt and an
attack upon the Methodist Board.
He characterized Dr.. SmOot as a nstu-
raj born politician in the pulpit of
Christ. He said Dr.. Slnoot had been
mad ever since the Federal army came
into his county in Kentucky, aud they
made him step up every thirty days
and take tie oath. Tney could not
trust him mt re than thirty days Ever
since that lime he has had no uss fJr
anything north of Mason and D xon's
line. Dr. Smoot said he would not 20
if the others went. The speaker sug.
gested rather quantity that they would
let him stay" He wanted t. know
if there was any politics in his prede-
cetsor's address concerning Wendell
Phillips aud Lloyd Garrison. He
wondered il a Northern man ever used
Language more cutting 10 Southern
people than that was to Northern peo-
pie. Smoot va, different from Garri-
son. Garrieon would say to Smoot:
your rebellion caused all the sorrow
and ruin" Smoot would say: well,
you led us to Go it," The war was
over, and its issues should be buried
forever and forever. AS to co. opera-
ton, the speaker declared that Abra-
ham armed his servants and went
down and helped Lot and released
him and his family. They didn't CO.
operate any more bscalse the town
was burnt up and Lots wi fe was
burned up and Lots wife was turned
into pillar Of salt. Men were sup
porting the majority report who were
born father down into the heart OF
slavery and the war than ever DR..
Smoot was. AS to the charge that
the majority had doctored the figures,
the speaker compl sicily overturned
the proofs. 1t was unfair TO the
preebyterie3 which had not been
heard to say they were not moving in
the matter. The legal presumption
wss that the silence of the presby-
teries meant their consent. There
was no question but that five spoke in
favor of it. The others either cared
nothing for II or favored it. AS to the
charge that this movement ought not
to follow the business men, "the
children OF this world are wiser in
their generation tnau the children OF
light" This Christ had said 10 certain
people once. The trouble with the
Presbyterian Cnurch ives that there
had been too little business about it.
The business men were hard heade
and sensible, and a church should
have som of their sense. AS to Dr..
Smdrl's idea Of sending missl onaries
TO "tonvert the New Engla ders from
their unitarianiem and eher isms,'
The speaker said he would like to be
ons Of the missionaries. They might
answer him in some fashion such as
this: Don't you think you Southern
Piesbyterians had better 20 back and
tend to those millions of niggers you
lave down thereY' God never in,
tended separation of his children.
The clause In the maj ,rity report
specially stipu sted that the Southern
church cid not believe in deliverances
on politics The Southern Church
went out because the Northwestern
AS emily in 1861, in Philadelphia,
had declared the citizens to be under
the Government of the United States,
the government de fscto and de jure,
and 70 member of the church should
bear arms against it. II this cause was
removed then the church could 20
back. How many political deliver.
snces had the Southern Church msdei
Many of them. The people of o nsha
had notified this assembly they would
accept just what the Missouri Synod
had accepted. DR.. Smoot had dug up
the bloody shirt and waved it and
rsked up every cruel thing the North.
ern Church had ever -ssid. 1t was not
fair TO make the Northern Church to-
day stand foe the church Of ten or e.
teen or twenty years ago. 1t would
have bee fairer to have taken their
later declarations ss the expires. ion ID
opinion. II ths assembly did not pay
more attention to the oveTtures now
made the church would lose many
border Pnsbyterisns. The whole
matter Of church progress and church
growth been hindsred by the two
lPr aurches in the field. In
atters the issues and diff
Of the war were being buried